


Titanium

by Linyah



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Love, Minor, Minor Violence, Reader-Insert, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-23
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2017-12-30 05:37:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1014773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linyah/pseuds/Linyah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You are a myth, a legend, a reminder of the old world, and a trinket of wealth that could simply be bought by the highest bidder. In this world of land and open air, you are nothing but a trophy of the blue depths. These foreign land creatures tie your hair into intricate designs, and decorate you with expensive gold, jewels, and pearls—keeping you in a bowl like a pet. But when a group of these humans, dressed in strange costumes, ransack the shelter you are kept, and attack those who "own" you, the world you thought you knew begins to change. Among them is a manling dressed in blue who can do something no other land walker can.</p><p>He can speak with you.</p><p>Aqualad X Mermaid!Reader</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not claim ownership of Teen Titans, or you.

Bubbles sped through the water like speeding bullets. They retreated into the deep blue depths of salvation as you were pulled to the top, headed for a forbidden world beyond your own. The fish you called your friends had abandoned you long ago, the bubbles looking to follow their lead as they too looked for escape. Gripping the rope, you held on for dear life as the large, foreign, contraption hauled you faster to the surface. You had given up on escape as your attempts proved futile. Your gums bled from chewing through the thick string. It was durable, stronger than the sea weed you nestled in at night. These ropes were all around you, the small openings teasing you, giving you false hopes of fleeing. The hole you had created was barely enough to poke your head through— not nearly big enough for the rest of your body.

How far were you from the sea floor? Where were you being taken? You had seen fish ensnared by these monsters before. They were hauled to the surface by the thousands, leaving the ocean barren and silent. Sharks and octopuses—fierce fighters of the oceans— weren't safe from these monsters either. Every living creature caught in these things disappeared to the surface, eaten by large dark monsters that stalked the top of the water. Never had you seen a living soul survive these attacks.

The cold air gave you a rude awakening as the net burst through the surface— you along with it. The torturous trap became snug around you as if to ensure your capture. Your body felt like heavy stone in this new open world. Your long ivory tresses, that normally hung weightless around you in the water, now pulled heavily at your scalp. In this world, you were heavier than the large stone blocks that decorated the ocean floor. You had nowhere to swim. 

With little warning you were dropped onto something hard. The light was much brighter up here, blinding your eyes. The bright sun burned with unrelenting heat, leaving you in panic. If you stayed out longer, you would surely dehydrate.

You lay in a gasping heap, tangled in the unforgiving ropes, attempting to adjust to the air. Your gills had collapsed without the support of water, and the now useless breathing devices shut, shielding your delicate neck with their hardened exterior. The golden scales, which armored the sensitive flesh beneath, looked like decorative gold jewelry around your neck. 

Instead of a large set of awaiting teeth to tear you to pieces, you were left exposed to the air behind layers of rope. However, surrounding you—beyond the forest of strings— stood men. Or at least, what you guessed were men. 

You were told many horrific stories of men from the reef fish. They stole fish from their homes, took things that didn't belong to them, slaughtered thousands of sea creatures around the world and desecrated the water until it was uninhabitable. They were selfish, ferocious and fearsome creatures of the land. They were things you stayed far away from.

They stood on two appendages, long and lanky like your arms. They were like crustacean legs, yet not nearly as many in number, and fleshier. It was strange in comparison to your one tail. How did they swim? 

They spoke in tongues you couldn't understand. Their voices were deep, almost guttural, but different from the whales that you swam aside. They walked about the tiny metal island, scuttling about like crabs, in panic. Their flesh was oily, and brown like beach sand. Their hair was dark, a stark contrast from your own. They dressed in strange cloth, it rested on their hips and wrapped about their legs. From the cloth, one man revealed a small metal box that fit within the palm of his hand. He held it up to his head and spoke in his foreign language. He stared at you, then back at his metal box. Why was he speaking to an inanimate object?

Weakly clawing at the net again, you wrestled on the floor of the metal island. As the man put away the metal box, he turned to the other men, shouting orders and pointing fingers. Instantly, you were released from the confusing prison, the ropes returning to the water. 

With the confines now gone, you made your escape. Pushing your weight onto your hands, you began to pull yourself towards the edge of the metal island. Your tail, unfortunately, slowed you down in this situation, flipping and pushing uselessly against the air. In the water it would normally push you forward, but in this case, it proved to get you nowhere. Reaching the rail, you could see the water below, screaming for you to jump into its awaiting embrace. You pulled yourself up with as much strength as you could muster and threw yourself over the edge. 

In where you should have returned to the water, instead you found yourself smacked against the side of the metal island, your hair barley reaching the waves. Why weren't you moving? A grip on your tail began to pull you away from the water's edge. The screaming of the men was louder this time-- more frantic. 

Not until you found yourself halfway up on the deck did you realize what was happening. The men had hauled you back onto the metal island, regardless of your flipping and scratching. Once you reached the flat surface of the island, your instincts kicked into high gear. You became a twist of snarling claws and powerful hits, and still there were too many of them. When you managed to jerk and scuff your way back to the island's edge, the men brought you back time and time again until you were depleted of energy. 

With more rope, they tied your arms together before hauling you to a hole in the island. It was filled with dark water that reeked of dead fish. It took four of these men to pull you along, and without a qualm, they tossed you into the murky water. The hole wasn't deep, nor was it clean. Pieces of crab and fish littered the floor, making you sick to your stomach. This water was cold and empty except for you. Swimming to the top, you gained momentum in an attempt to fling yourself out of the prison. Instead, you slammed yourself into more metal with a great crash. The men had slammed something over the opening of the hole before you could attempt another escape. 

So this was where all your friends had gone. Caged in this black metal cell for who knows how long, only awaiting death to sweep them away before something more horrific could ensue. 

Holding your arms close to your body, you slunk down into the depths. It looked like you were in it for the long haul, and if you were going to survive, you'd have to conserve as much energy as you could.


	2. Taunted

How long had it been since you were first captured? You weren't quite sure. Days, nights, and seasons melted into each other distorting your sense of time. It was like time never existed on land. There were no sunrises, no sunsets, and no stars to tell you where you were or when it was. 

From what you gathered, you were far inland now. The only time you saw the outside of the surface world was when the men had transferred you from the floating metal island to some strange meeting place where other metal islands of different sizes stood to watch over the water. Some islands were white with large fins that stretched to the sky. Some were small, looking like floating pebbles on the water. Land was crowded and cluttered with large, strangely decorated, angular rocks—nothing at all like the lush greenery you were told of. These rocks weren't nearly as large as the stone walls on the ocean floor that stretched for eternity. However, you had little time to inspect the outside environment before you were locked away in the dark again. Each time you were locked away it was like you were in a different world the next time you saw light. You would find yourself in dry, colored caves. It was always a different cave after you were shoved into the dark place. 

The surface world sure was strange.

You were exchanged to different humans every so often, always being transported within dark water. Although you learned something every time they threw you in the darkness. Humans rode on beasts that roared louder than anything you had ever heard before. They sounded ferocious and angry. Never were you able to see these ferocious beasts because the humans kept you so sheltered, and you were glad you never did. To keep yourself occupied in the darkness, you often imagined what these humans were talking about or what these beasts they used for travel looked like. It was always drifted into such a scary thing to think about. 

From those darker skinned males that stood atop the metal islands of the water, you met lighter skinned individuals the farther inland you travelled. Each individual wore different, stranger cloth than the last. You assumed they associated their funny cloths with some type of status. It was strange to see how they worked. In the sea it was the strongest who reigned at the top. The fastest and most agile would be the ones who survived. But you had come to learn that it was different for the land dwellers. It seemed that, to humans, physical size and prowess didn't seem to matter. Instead, it almost seemed to be the opposite. The stronger, more muscular men who had caught you were lower in the food chain than the ones you were currently in the hands of. 

Things just didn't make sense.

These current humans seemed higher in rank than all the others you've met. Black cloth adorned the males, mimicking the look of the penguins you had met once when you had traveled too far south. The females wore brightly colored cloths like the beautiful tropical reef fish. Their cloth wrapped around them like a blanket of sea weed, ending barely below their behinds. These people wore more pretty polished stones than all the others as well. Perhaps humans determined their status with these pretty polished stones. 

You weren't quite sure.

By now, you had assumed you weren't going to become sustenance for their empty bellies-- at least that's what you hoped. If they wanted to eat you, you were sure they would have done so already. Unless they shared their catch....but you didn't want to think about that.

Your tail flopped uselessly as you sat on the edge of a small, deep body of water in a place you assumed was a cavern made by man. A female human tended to your hair. Her hands making quick work of the long, ivory tresses, tying them into intricate loops and knots. She is smaller and thinner than the other humans. Her black hair is cropped short, and her almond shaped eyes were foreign in this place. She shook slightly, nervous and muttering some more strange words you couldn't understand.

You hissed in anger when she pulled a little too hard, yanking your head back painfully. Whipping around, you snapped your jaws at her, your slightly pointed teeth glinted in the magical light that hung above you like the sun in this enclosed space. You would have swat at her with your claws had they not been trimmed and tied together. She made a yelp in surprise, backing up fearfully at your violent response. The man that was stationed with her pulled at the rope attached to the metal they wrapped around your neck. In turn, you were forced to face forward once again despite your obvious hostility. After a bit more work and adding something heavy to your head, she was finished with your hair. 

She moved on to dress you. She took a cloth, shimmering like woven gold, wrapped it around your back and over your breasts. It tightly constructed the two mounds of flesh, binding them to your body almost painfully so before tying it harshly around your neck. Next, she fastened a metal armor that hung over your shoulders, and curved over your bound chest. It was crafted with shining yellow gems that ran along the piece in varying sizes. The metal was crafted with such whimsical designs that reminded you of the waves of the water. It was so intricately designed. It was strange, uncomfortable, and heavy, but it was beautiful to look at. Pearls fell from the hardened armor and head piece in long tendrils that tickled your skin.

To think these humans cherished such trivial things. 

These land dwelling creatures fed you strange foods too— usually brown in color. They tried to feed you whole fish and brown coloured round things. Each time calling it "Fu~Duh" [1]. 

This human language was strange for you to decipher. It wasn't like the series of different notes and clicks that you usually communicated with. They enunciated different sounds with their tongue into a strange pattern that sounded like nonsense. And, for some reason, when they spoke to you, it was always so slow compared to when they spoke to each other.

The man jolted you out of your thoughts with a harsh tug on the metal band around your neck. The smaller female had already left. Releasing the rope, he tied you to a thinner metal rope leading to the water. You sat carefully still, in case he was going to attack you. Despite their hospitality, you didn’t trust them. Creatures known for violence wouldn’t be so nice. Your heart pounded against your rib cage as you felt him fiddle with the metal around your neck and the rope around your wrists. Once he was content, he stared down at you, an intimidating air around him. He let out a guttural command. When you looked up at him, clearly confused, he nodded towards the water, barking out more guttural sounds. 

Was he letting you go? 

When you refused to move, he must have gotten impatient. He nudged your back, ushering you to go—muttering more words you couldn’t understand.

"Gouh!" It was such an ugly sound.

Hissing at his persistence, you eased yourself into the water. Glancing back, you noticed he was about to leave through that section of the wall which seemed to move. If he was going to let you escape, you wouldn't complain. After all, all water leads to the ocean.

Submerging yourself into the water, you could barely manage the weight. All the metal, stones and pearls weighed you down severely, making you sink faster than you were used to. You had tried to pull away the metal, but it was fastened too tightly around you. No matter. As long as you were in the water, you would be able to get home. You were sure you could find a sea creature kind enough to release you from the shackles. 

Whatever their reason, you were free now. That's all that mattered. Swimming off, you couldn't wait to get back to your cave on the ocean floor. You would gossip with the reef fish, frolic with the dolphins, and journey with the whales once again. You couldn't wait to--

Thunk! 

Rubbing your sore forehead, you looked quizzically at the water in front of you. Did you just hit something? You didn't see anything. It couldn’t possibly be frozen; this water was too warm for ice. Out stretching your arm, your hand came in contact with something solid. Ghosting your fingers over this solid entity, you watched on in amazement. Was this magic?

Pushing against the invisible force, you tried to break free with no avail. Swimming down, you tried to move around the wall that kept you there, but it never seemed to end. Frustrated, you pounded against thing that kept you from escaping. There was no end to it! 

Suddenly, there was light on the other side of the wall and out of the emptiness appeared a human man dressed in black, face to face with you. Giving a startled hiss, you pushed away with your tail, trying to escape, but the metal severely hindered you. Pumping your tail, you raced in all directions to escape into the water, but that human magic kept you surrounded. There was nowhere to flee...

Swirling around, you inspected the human man. He stood tall in all black. A hungry gleam in his eye. 

**"Bii yew tih’ful." [1]** He said. His words distorted through the water-- not that you could understand him anyway. **"Yew shuhd entuh bi ahh frayid. Aiy il taek gud cae ruhv yew."**

You glared and hissed at the man, pounding against the force that kept you back. This wasn't freedom... These were just more walls to keep you in. This was just another means of humiliation! Stupid selfish humans taunting you with the freedom you deserved! How dare they!

The man bared his teeth.

**"Aiy owuhn yew naoh."**

 

 

[1]—Can you figure out what this man is saying? It’s not too hard to figure out, really. Just sound it out.


	3. Exposed

More time passed since you were first brought to this dreary excuse of a shelter. You lived a mundane life void of happiness, joy, or anything pleasant in general. Being stuck in the human-made prison gave you little to nothing to occupy yourself with. Repetitively swimming circles in this small body of water, when you weren’t cowering from the humans that taunted you, you grew tired of the scenery quickly. This place they keep you in was nothing more than a tiny puddle compared to the world's oceans and seas. In comparison to the endless caverns, vast valleys of the ocean floor, and the company that you grew up with, this poor attempt at recreation was nothing. 

The alpha human seemed to claim ownership over you and boastfully showed you off at every moment he saw fit. Not a day went by where you swam up to the invisible wall that divided you from the humans to earn your food. It was like a daily ritual they had burned into your memory, a routine that you repeated to ensure you survived through another day. You had learned the lesson the hard way when they starved you until you preformed the tasks. They made sure you lived through that horrible time though, refusing to give you the salvation of death. The humans that came and went would make funny sounds that you assumed to be of amusement and praise. They would tap on the wall and bare their teeth before speaking some more with the man that claimed ownership of you. He would make hearty, guttural heaves that would jostle his body in fits as he chewed on a brown stick that would gradually disappear into smoke and ash like the kind you witnessed from the vents on the ocean floor. What kind of world was this? What kind of creature were humans if they could consume molten vents, breathe smoke and ash?

You were beginning to understand the humans to an extent when you managed to bite back your wariness of them. Their constant repetitive commands made it easier for you to comprehend. Especially once you had nothing else to keep your mind occupied. When you were bored, you would mimic them for amusement. The way they would circle each other during courtship in their strange cloths or the sounds they would make when they came by your prison to tease you, you mimicked it all. Although you didn’t comprehend their ways entirely, you knew enough to get you food. And the more you knew, the more you got to eat. That much was enough to get you by for now.

Lying in your giant, cushioned, scallop-shell-shaped nest, you observed the humans as they interacted with each other. They chattered amongst themselves this time, completely ignoring your presence. It seemed as if they were preoccupied with something else. There were only males in the large cave today, brandished with what you could only assume were weapons. 

The older, alpha male of the humans sat in front of the magical wall that kept you locked in. He kept his back to you with his strange, shiny, silver weapon in his hand. 

**“Wii er gohnha geht suhm vih sehtursu tu dai. Mai pehtu,”** the alpha grumbled under his breath. His voice echoed and bounced through the water into barely recognisable sounds. He seemed to refer to you as “Mai Pehtu” which you guessed was what he named you. He turned to face you over his shoulder, brandished his hunting weapon and bared his teeth. **“Nohu wurriis thoh. Aie wohn tuh leht ehhnie buhdie taek yew fruhm mii.”** The alpha turned away to bark at the rest of his pack. They pointed their weapons at the entrance of the cave as if they were awaiting an intruder. The men were barking to each other in panic. They stalked inside the cave like stir crazy wild things. This was odd even for your understanding of the humans. Swimming from your nest, you braced your hands against the invisible wall and watched their actions curiously. Suddenly they stopped speaking and in unison they turned towards the sealed entrance to the cave. Pressing your ear against the wall, you could hear the dull thumping of something attempting to make its way inside. Perhaps there was a territory dispute between human groups? Or maybe the monster that the humans used as transportation had gotten loose? Your hair bristled at the thought of it. Would you be safe here in this small barricade? The walls were strong enough to keep you in and keep the humans out, but you weren’t quite sure if it could hold out any monsters. Especially monsters that sounded so ferocious.

The pounding stopped as abruptly as it began which seemed to confuse the humans. They looked to each other for explanation, but before one could speak up, the blockage erupted in a fiery blast that created a smoke screen and sent them flying back. Bright beams of yellow light shot towards the men sending them collapsing to the floor. Some of the beams had missed the alpha and instead struck the invisible wall making you flinch. A yellow light had lodge itself in the invisible wall. You let out a startled sound, reeling back to shield yourself from the beam of light. After several more _Thunks_ and no pain to follow, you peeked between your gold decorated finger tips to inspect the damage. The bright yellow lights were dimming now, revealing their true form to be something fish-like. 

They were long, thin and spiny, like an eel, but straight and like a bone. Their fins matched their golden body, but were only attached to the ends of their tails. Their heads were strange, also golden in colour; they protruded from their bodies in a strange angular way because their heads were just that much larger. Their heads were also strangely rounded to a smooth, shining finish. There were no eyes or gills that you could see, and for all the suckling they did on the invisible wall, you couldn’t see a mouth. Furrowing your brows, you cocked your head to the side, entranced by the strange creature. Creatures on the surface world were very peculiar to say the least. 

The cries of men snapped your attention to beyond the wall and into the cavern. The humans were assaulted by multiple, bright yellow lights, and golden flying fish that seemed to soar through the smolder and ash created when the sealed mouth of the cavern exploded in smoke and fire. One by one the human men would fall to the ground, their weapons forgotten on the floor. The Alpha male roared in anger at four shadowed figures, raising his weapon in their direction. He was hiding behind his brown platform, along with several of the other men who had survived the attack. 

Suddenly your skin prickled with an intense feeling of retreat. Beneath your fingertips, you could feel the invisible wall tremble, quaking with increasing ferocity with every second. The pulsing was shaking through the water like sonic waves thrusting the water against its will against the barrier. Pushing away from the unseen barricade, you frantically looked for salvation. The only semblance of stable shelter was your nesting area the humans had created to mimic a scallop shell. Rushing forward, you raced quickly to the small structure, finding salvation between its jaws. The pull of the water was growing stronger now, pushing against the water felt like swimming against a strong current. The intense pressure was pushing down on you as the water seemed to want to escape the human prison. It didn’t take long before cracks formed in the large invisible wall, first thin, but they grew thicker and greater in number as they traveled. One last pulse sent the invisible barrier shattering into thousands of shards, the water breaking free from its binds to fill the empty cave, washing over the Alpha and remaining human males. 

The suction of the water as it raced for its freedom was much more violent than you had anticipated. As the liquid hungrily searched for liberty of the constraint of that human construction, it easily ripped you from your perch, sending you tumbling and swirling within its currents and past the broken barrier. You gave a sharp yelp as you were caught by the neck abruptly, the metal band the humans tied around your neck prevented you from leaving with the water completely. Snarling, you struggled against the heavy metal rope, fighting both against both it and the water as they tugged at your body in a painful way. Jerking against the rope, you willed yourself free, to no avail. Once, twice, three times. Snarling, you grasped the rope with both hands, and with one final great heave with the help of your tail, the rope finally gave way, coming with you on your journey to what you hoped would be back to the ocean. 

But it seemed this alone was not enough, for the water had trickled now. It settled you to the floor as it raced out the entrance of the cave, leaving you behind to the mercy of the humans once again. Even the water would abandon you it seemed. 

The heaviness of the surface world hit you harder this time around. The shiny metal, gems, and pearls, the humans decorated you crushed your body to the floor against the unrelenting gravity. There was no comfort here. Gasping for breath, you erupted into a fit of violent coughs. Your gills collapsed once again to the lack of water, leaving you to heave against the wet floor. Pushing against the weight, you were sent careening back to the floor with a yelp as a sharp pain shot up your right arm. Peering through your tresses, only now did you notice the stench of blood and the crimson that pooled beneath you, staining your once ivory locks. But you couldn’t relish too long in your pain, for a set of gangly limbs stepped into your line of vision. 

**”Woah….”**

Your heart gave a great thump in your chest, you peered up from your exhausted heap on the floor to meet a pair of strangely large, angular, white eyes rimmed in black. It was a human manling, strangely dressed in orange and gold, with a tuft of orange locks at the top of his head. You glared, baring your teeth, and hissed. 

Stumbling back in what you hoped was fear, the manling turned to his pack-mate dressed in blue and black. This one was more angular than any other manling you had seen before. 

**“Heei Akual laad. Kum oveher heer. Aie thihnkuh yew needh tuh sii thihs.”**


	4. Rescued

Silently eyeing the two manlings before you, you could feel the thunder pound within your chest. Swaying slightly against your injury, you fought against the weakness you felt. The smell of blood must have attracted them. They hovered around you, communicating between themselves and watching you intently. They seemed to be a hunting pack, much smaller than the pack of humans that kept you, but easily displayed that they were stronger. 

Slamming your heavy tail against the floor beneath you, you bore your teeth, and a deep grumble erupted from within your gut. 

After being captive by humans for so long, you had realized that the surface world was much more different than the water. You never saw them hunt, only mingle casually amongst themselves. There was only one leader within the group, and used strange objects to attack instead of relying on their own strength. Their customs were strange and different, but perhaps they'd understand the warning you were giving. 

Narrowing your eyes, you gave the most ferocious snarl you could muster. 

You wouldn't die without a fight. 

The blue manling moved forward cautiously. His movement made lightning quake through your body, and you fought the urge to lunge. It was impossible to move without them outmatching you in speed. They were made for this environment, you were not. 

Hissing out one last warning, you curled your tail toward you body in preparation to strike them. 

The blue manling, whose eyes were dark and reminiscent of sharks, raised his arms with his palms forward. **"Shhhhu. Ihtu issuh oh keh nahoo. Kahhm duhowhn."**

Slamming your tail threateningly once more, you pushed yourself back, hissing when pain shot through your injured arm. Your breaths came in heavy puffs now. The heavy gravity, weight of the decorated stones, and the open air were all beginning to take their toll on you. But the lightning within your body kept you active. You wouldn't allow the humans to touch you this time around. 

**"Dooduh. Aie dohntuh thuhiink shii uhndurr stuh ahnds."** The red manling spoke now. You caught the way the muscles in his hands tightly gripped his weapons, and you unleashed a low grumble. 

The red manling looked to his partner with a strange expression on his face. **" Yew shher yew cahn tahhk huher duhown?"**

The blue manling bent his legs, sitting on them as he leaned closer to your level. 

**_Kahhm duhowhn. Aie wohntuh hertuh yew._** Jumping back in alarm, you slashed your tail out towards the manling, but missed him by a small distance. You clearly heard his voice speak, but his lips did not move. Where was this voice coming from? Was this more strange human magic? You pulled back your lips to reveal your fangs, much to the red one's discomfort. 

_Leave me alone, manlings! Leave me alone! I won't let you eat me!_

As if the blue manling could hear your thoughts, he stopped. His eyes widened a fraction slightly. Curiously, the manling furrowed his brows and observed you uneasily. 

**"Huuu...Aie shuud hahve pai ied moeruh atenshun een kuhlassu..."** Pressing his hand to his lips, for a moment he sat silently grumbling before speaking once more. "G-Greetings..." 

The thunder in your chest gave a heavy drum at his word. You could feel your chest burn with a familiar feeling. Cautiously, you calmed your tail and silenced your snarling. It had been so long since you had heard familiar words. 

"I...I apologize, my Ancient Atlantean is bad....W-We," he motioned to the red manling,"are friends. No magic. **Wuhohnt kuhill.** " 

His words were broken, it was easy to see the struggle he had with the language, but you didn't mind. No other being had been able to speak to you like this before. The burning feeling instantly brought water to your large eyes. Remembering he was a manling though, made you keep your distance. "Who are you? What do you want from me?" you muttered, more subdued now than before. 

Seeing your receptiveness, the manling calmed as well. His body relaxed slightly, but his expression still held some apprehension. 

"My name is Aqualad. This...is my friend named Speedy. We...want to help." 

**"Tehhll hur wii dohntuh wahnt tu iiht hur,"** Speedy interjected from behind Aqualad. 

You glared at the manling, unable to decipher this strange language. You could tell that the teen wasn't as receptive to you as Aqualad was, and that made you suspicious. Turning your attention to the blue clad manling, you looked at him expectantly. "What did he say?" 

"We no eat you. Will not kill. Want to help...only." Aqualad, reaching his hand out to you, gave a soft expression this time. "Want to help only." 

A loud crash resounded outside the mouth of this man-made cave. More shouting and deafening popping noises echoed into the space, alerting the two manlings of more company. Speedy snarled, turning his back towards you and raising his weapon towards the opening. " **Ohhu maanhu. Aie thohtu wii gohtu thehm ahhl.** " 

Aqualad, turning to you with more urgency this time, reached his hand out once more. "No time. Need to go. Trust, yes?" 

Ignoring the hushed calls of the red manling, you stared inquisitively at the open hand before you. Did they truly want to help you, or were they just more distrustful humans. You weren't sure... 

Looking around the tarnished cave, your gaze fell upon the broken invisible wall that that the alpha male had kept you trapped in. It had been much too long since you had your freedom. You wouldn't be able to leave the upper world on your own. You must have been far inland by now. You had no other option it seemed. 

"Trust?" The manling asked once more. His expression was strange, but you didn't feel a bad aura around him. There was something different, something you couldn't explain that made your chest ache. 

Nodding in approval, you took hold of his outstretched hand in your own. "Okay, I'll trust." 

The manling's lips turned up in an expression you didn't quite understand, but did little to stop him as he rushed over to your form to hook his arms around your upper body and under your tail. With little trouble, he lifted you from the floor--precious stones and all-- and followed after Speedy, scuttling out of the cave with strength you hadn't expected him to have. Surprised at this manling, you watched him in awe. The gravity of the surface world was almost too heavy for you to withstand, but this manling did it with ease, carrying your weight too. Were all humans this strong? 

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Speedy unleash more of his golden fish weapons as other men neared the three of you. 

Aqualad noticed your gaze despite his scuttling, and spoke to you once again in the language you understood in hopes to distract you. "What is your name?" 

Looking up at him from your perch in his arms, you deliberated silently in your head before answering. "I have not been given a name. Most just call me Half-ling" 

"That is a strange name." The corners of the manling's lips upturned once more in that same strange expression. "It is nice to meet you, Half-ling. "


	5. Rescued II

The two strangely coloured manlings attacked the other earth-walkers with practiced ease. The red manling, Speedy, unleashed his school of eel shaped golden bones at all men who came within reach. He used a strange contraption to send the eel bones swimming through the air. He gripped a larger bone, curved like that of the rib of a large shark. It was golden as well, matching the other set of bones, but what made this different object different was the single hair that was threaded through the tips of the bone. This hair is what the manling pulled the eel bones against to send it shooting through the air faster than a marlin. All the men dressed in black crumpled to the floor after coming in contact with the objects 

You watched in strange fascination as Speedy cleared a path for Aqualad to follow behind, you cradled in his arms. Was it common for earth-walkers to fight amongst each other this way? The manlings did not seem to hunger much, for their strength was too great, and although cannibalism wasn’t uncommon under the waters, you were not aware of earth-walkers doing the same. The travelling whales spoke of humans ending lives purely for entertainment, regardless if their prey were other humans. Was this another way which humans occupied their time?

Turning your attention to the blue manling, you clung closer to his body as he soared through the air, pushing against the heavy gravity to avoid another fallen human. Each time he would take to the air, it was as if your stomach would float to your chest and your heart to your throat. This sensation was frighteningly foreign. It made your scales bristle at the tips. 

You gave a startled snarl, almost reluctantly, when he pushed himself into the air once more. It was higher this time, according to your stomach, making you curl your tail towards yourself instinctively. It was effortless the way the blue manling danced over the shallow water and the fallen humans. He moved differently than the red manling. There was a familiar fluidity to the way his body reacted to the environment, as if we moved with it instead of fighting with it. He was fascinating, this Aqualad. Strange name…but fascinating nonetheless. 

Soon, it was as if there were no longer any darkly dressed men to fight. When the last one had fallen, the two manlings paused, turning to each other to speak. 

**“Thhay shuh uud bii duhown fuhor ah wuh ahhile. Aye kahhn kiep thih ngs uhhndur cuntrohhl uhn tihl thuh poeleese guheht heer.”** The red manling turned to regard Aqualad, gesturing down the rest of the cave. 

**“Ahhr yoo shur? Thuh air cuhood bii moar uv thuh ehm.”** Aqualad replied, their strange guttural language rolled off his tongue rhythmically like waves. 

Speedy to you this time, his gaze wandering over you like a predator would. Curling your tail once more, you gave a low hiss between your teeth in warning. You didn’t like the way he would look at you every once in a while, it made you feel uneasy. No doubt he could probably smell your blood in the air. Even though the blue manling had requested your trust, you still did not give it to them wholeheartedly, even if he did manage to speak with you. 

The Speedy’s lips upturned into a strange expression once more. It was not quite a snarl for his teeth did not show, but it was not a frown either. **”Iht’ss fuh-iehn. Bii ehnd thuh tuh-wihns shuhd bii hiir suh-oon. Yew shuhd geht yur niew gurhl frehnd ah-oot uv hiir biifor piipohl stuhart ahsk-iing kuh-west-yons.”**

The blue manling tensed. His muscles firmed underneath his cloth, giving a strange guffaw before stepping around his kin. Aqualad sped through the winding maze of caves. You weren’t sure how since everything looked the same to you. 

“Half-ling,” Aqualad spoke. 

You gave a short huff of air to let him know you heard him. You were too mesmerized by these strange human dwellings to give a coherent answer. 

“Is there more…Half-lings?” 

You gave your head a quick shake. “No,” you stated simply. “At least, I have not seen one in many years. The whales tell me there are rumors among the water-folk that there are no more like me.” 

A hum thrummed through the manling’s chest as he stopped before one of the openings that the humans would use to move through the dwellings. Unlike some of the others, this one was barricaded shut by the flat-rock piece. The blue manling adjusted you in his grip, making sure your weight was more secure as he balanced on one leg and kicked down the barricade with his other. It toppled over with a sharp crash, piercing your ears uncomfortably. 

The above world was such a loud place. 

“Where are you taking me?” You asked as the manling stepped through the new opening. Instantly you were greeted by the smell of fresh wind as it danced through your intricately decorated tresses, brining your attention to the new world around you. Strangely shaped mountains reached far above you. Their dark shadows loomed over your tiny self, blocking out portions of the dots of light which decorated the night sky. 

You were finally outside once more. 

The blue manling chuckled, startling you from your relishing in the open air to eyeing him in confusion. The blue manling had laughed. Although you had heard the other humans laugh before, it did not sound like his did. His sounded familiar to you, like the good-natured chuckles of the dolphins when they raced. He was not like those other humans, you realized. He did not seem as human as the others. 

“Apologies. I did not mean to laugh. Is nice…to…uh…outside.”

You bobbed your head in agreement. Yes it did feel nice to be outside, even if it wasn’t in the water. To feel the open air felt quite nice on your skin as well. 

“Where are you taking me?” You asked once more. It was difficult to tear your gaze from the lights in the sky. It had been so long since you had last slept beneath them. One night you had even asked yourself whether or not they still existed. And yet, there they were still shining brightly. 

“We are going to my home.”


End file.
